[extropy-chat] Tommy (Was: Consciousness is a process in multi-dimensional time!)

[gts]

ben <benboc at lineone.net> wrote:

>> An interesting (gruesome, but interesting) question is: what would
>> happen if someone had all their sensory inputs severed

We were pondering a similar and I think even more interesting question  
here recently: some blind people can respond to objects in their field of  
vision even with no conscious experience of seeing. Apparently they can  
see but don't know how they can see, like Tommy the Pinball Wizard.

Imagine a person with this sort of blind-sight for all his senses, and  
imagine his blind-sight was perfectly accurate. Wouldn't that person seem  
no different from anyone else?

Acy argued he would not be like us; that he would not be able to respond  
appropriately to questions like, "Hmm, nice weather today, yes?" But I  
don't see why that is so. Presumably he would know it was a nice day, but  
not know what he meant by it. :)

-gts